County office locations available for residents to sign NRG petition

October 20, 2012

MAYVILLE - Chautau-qua County Executive Gregory J. Edwards announced today that participating County Office Buildings will now have hard copies of the NRG petition available for residents to sign.

The PowerUpWNY Coalition launched this petition to gain support for NRG Energy, Inc.'s proposed Dunkirk Repowering Project. The project would replace existing coal units with combined cycle gas turbines that would allow the plant to operate solely on natural gas by 2017.

Over 800 people have signed the petition urging Governor Andrew Cuomo and the NY Energy Highway Task Force to approve the project and the coalition is working to reach its goal of 3,000 supporters by the end of October.

"The project has gained a lot of support in the Dunkirk area, but this is not solely a Dunkirk issue," said Edwards. "NRG is the largest taxpayer in Chautauqua County and its operations have a large impact on Chautauqua County and Western New York as the approval of their project by the state would preserve jobs, create jobs, provide electricity for residents and businesses, ensure a stable and predictable tax base, and protect our environment by reducing emissions and improving air quality."

In an effort to reach more residents, the petition will now be available at six County Offices.